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"No, not at all," I said "Please come in, Louise"

She entered the den, gazed around and then sat on the leather settee I had taken ht after the house sale and moved them into my own home office

"Is Sa at the collection displayed in the case

"No, those were my father's antiques," I said

"Oh"

I sat in the leather chair across from her

"Can I get you so to drink, Louise?"

"No, I'm fine," she said She fumbled with the snap on her purse for a few moments "I suppose you knohy I've come to see' you, Olivia"

"No," I said "I'm afraid this is a total surprise"

"It's aboutNelson and what he has done," she said, holding her gaze on me I st

ared at her without changing expression "He told me

everything," she continued

"I see," I said, feeling as if h air in s to utter any sound, much less sentences I seized control of myself as quickly as I could and sat with my back steel firm "What exactly did he tell you?"

Surely, he hadn't confessed to our sexual episode on the yacht as well, I thought

"He told me aboutthe baby," she said, "and about Belinda and what you want to do about it," she replied, her eyes steady, her voice strong I waited That was apparently all he had confessed Even so, I was amazed she had come I had certainly